It is known in the related art to use cleaners or, less preferably, cleaner/lubricant/protectant (CLP) oils to remove carbon and other fouling from mechanical parts. In particular, in the area of firearm operation, such as AR-15 or M-16 firearms, when a round is fired, the combustion process deposits carbon within the firearm, as shown in FIG. 1. The depositing of carbon leading to fouling is a well known problem in the art, an example of which is shown in FIG. 2. Carbon fouling requires a time-consuming cleaning process that may take up to three days for sufficient removal of carbon to allow proper operation of the firearm. When the carbon fouling becomes too great, the firearm will malfunction or cease operation entirely, which is a problem in battle or defensive situations, for example, and a significant nuisance to civilian shooters.
Currently, various lubricant compositions are known for use on firearms to remove carbon fouling from the firearm. However, known compositions do not satisfactorily remove carbon, especially at temperatures above 160° F. Many existing products “bake on” at temperatures near or above this level, which exacerbates fouling issues and creates stoppages. Ambient temperatures in current combat zones can often reach 120° F. The sun can heat black metal objects another 40° F. or more before the weapon is even fired. Many test results have shown that critical moving parts of the weapon can reach 70° F. or above ambient temperature in even modest firing cadences, which are further magnified in battle conditions. Furthermore, some known compositions are synthetic and harmful when exposed to the human body. For example, several known lubricant compositions include: Mobil 1® 10W-30 sold by Mobil, SLIP2000™ Carbon Killer sold by SPS Marketing, FrogLube® sold by AUDEMOUS INC, Gunzilla® sold by TopDuck Products, LLC, Hoppe's Elite® Gun Cleaner sold by Bushnell Outdoor Products, and Break Free® sold by SAFARILAND. Each of these commercial compositions has significant flaws and/or drawbacks. For example, Mobil 1® 10W-30 synthetic is hydrocarbon based, creates a sludge when contacted with carbon fouling, and is not polar. SLIP2000™ Carbon Killer does not lubricate, strips metal of oils, and damages anodized aluminum and blued steel. Stripping oils from metals in a firearm can cause the firearm to seize. FrogLube® is only functional in a very narrow temperature range. It solidifies at 48° F., and smokes at 150° F. After smoking, it leaves behind a sticky gummy residue. Gunzilla® is harmful or fatal if swallowed, and is a very poor performing cleaner. Hoppe's Elite® does not act as a lubricant and removes oils and contains hazardous diethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Break Free® contains petroleum distillates. Petroleum distillate products contain harmful, carcinogenic components and are treated as hazardous materials both in shipment and disposal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,454 is directed to a biodegradable vegetable oil composition comprising a triglyceride oil, an antioxidant, and other oils. The other oils may be synthetic ester base oil, polyalphaolefin, or unrefined, refined, or re-refined oils. The triglyceride oils are vegetable oils.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,992 is directed to biodegradable vegetable oil compositions having at least one triglyceride oil, a pour point depressant, an antioxidant, and other oils. The triglyceride oils are vegetable oils.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,302 is directed to the use of an oil composition for temporary treatment of metal surfaces.
Further, current lubricants for mechanical components including firearms lubricants do not take into account extreme heat in fully automatic or suppressed fire. Sustained semi-automatic fire in battle or intense competition can result in extreme heat that will cook or burn off lubricant, resulting in weapon failure. Such failure will result in injury or death in battle. Further, in competition, such failure will result in the loss of matches.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for natural, safe, oil compositions and methods of using the compositions for avoiding and removing carbon fouling in mechanical components, and providing highly heat-resistant lubrication and a fouling resistant environment.